Ducks Host No. 5 USC Thursday Night

Oregon will host No. 5 USC on Thursday at 4 p.m. (Pac-12 Network).

KEY STORIES

The Ducks play four of their last six games in the state of Oregon, three of which are at home.
The Oregon 8-1-4 record is the program’s best 13-game mark in 40 years. The 1981 team had 11-0-2 and 13 matches.
After a single win or draw, the Ducks will lock in consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1980 (13-1-3) and 1981 (13-2-3).
Oregon have had six matches in the last seven games. The Ducks are the only team this season to record a break against UCLA; they are also the only team to shut down the state of Arizona this fall.
As a team, Oregon’s eight closures are one school-year high of nine set in 1981.
Separately, Leah Freeman leads Pac-12 and ranks second nationally with eight cuts. He is second in the conference in both goals against the average (0.47) and the savings percentage (0.900). Nationwide, he is third in salvation and ninth in goal against average.
On Sunday against the state of Arizona, Leah Freeman, the week’s reigning Pac-12 goalkeeper, set a UO personal record with his eighth cut of the season.
Oregon have scored 23 goals in 13 matches in 2021. Unlike last season: 12 goals in 16 matches.
No one has played more matches in the Oregon uniform than fifth-year seniors Chardonnay Curran (86) and Mia Palmer (82). Eden Hardy joins the 80-team club on Thursday against USC (draw third).
On September 24, Oregon closed the No. 3 UCLA 0-0 draw in Los Angeles. This was the first time the Bruins had been closed at home in more than three years. Leah Freeman (goalkeeper) and Chai Cortez (defender) were selected as Pac-12 players of the week.
The Oregon 12-match winning streak (7-0-5) ended on October 3 at Stanford. It is the second longest series in program history, behind only 21 match losses (17-0-4) during the 1980 and 1981 seasons.
Oregon returned all 11 starters from last season’s team that released the Ducks ’first winning result (6-5-5) after 2006 (12-6-2), including all conference selections Zoe Hasenauer, Soto Cross and Leah Freeman. Freeman was also named to the Pac-12 freshman team.